- “Several thousand people” were vaccinated to date in France, announced Olivier Véran on Monday.
- The executive is strongly criticized for the slowness of its vaccination plan and forced to accelerate.
” 265 vaccination points open to health professionals ”will be in place by mid-January, announcement to 20 Minutes the entourage of Gabriel Attal.
At first glance, the figures seem cruel to the executive. Olivier Véran assured this Monday that “several thousand people” had been vaccinated against coronavirus to date in France, far from 265. 000 in Germany or near 119. 000 in Italy. The executive is accused of having implemented a anti-Covid vaccine strategy too slow and too careful compared to some of its European neighbors.
“We have the same number of doses as our neighbors, but we chose a different path ”, defended the government spokesman Gabriel Attal on Sunday at Parisian. The government remains on its goal of reaching a million people at risk for vaccination by February. But criticism from the opposition and from the medical staff forced him to speed up,
, in particular on the vaccination of caregivers . Some “265 vaccination points open to health professionals ”will be in place by mid-January, this Monday told 20 Minutes the entourage of Gabriel Attal
“State scandal”, “fiasco”, “laughing stock of the developed world”
“We are pursuing a policy which has proved its failure in the past: the masks, the tests, today” hui vaccination . I consider that today we are facing a state scandal “, blasted this Monday Jean Rottner on France 2. The president (LR) of the Grand Est region denounced” a form of lack of preparation and irresponsibility »From the government.
The criticism is taken up by all sides of the opposition . “The government is unable to set up simple logistics. Our vaccination campaign is the laughing stock of the developed world! », tweeted the President of the RN, Marine Le Pen. Same dial tone at Yannick Jadot , MEP EELV: “The vaccine strategy fiasco makes me hesitate between amateurism and incompetence, and the president acts as if it had nothing to do with it. “
” There was a problem with the slowness and communication ”
At the center of criticism, Emmanuel Macron. To believe the JDD , the Head of State would have been annoyed by this “family walk rhythm” , and would have himself put pressure on his government. “It must change quickly and strongly”, he would have railed, blaming the slowness of the administration. “Our technostructure is absolutely cumbersome,” supports François Patriat, the boss of LREM senators and close to the head of state. We have also put so much stress on political and administrative officials with the legal risk, immediate questioning, commissions of inquiry… that no one takes the slightest risk. “
Faced with the controversy, the Elysee Palace announced the holding of a” work and monitoring meeting “on vaccination this Monday afternoon with Emmanuel Macron , the head of government and the ministers concerned. The executive knows that it has no room for error and that a failure on the vaccination plan would have serious consequences in terms of health, but also political. “What I fear is the argument:” they missed the masks, the tests and now the vaccines “on the grounds that other countries are going faster”, squeaks a Macronist framework. “I have the impression that the French administration had set itself for January 4, and had not provided for the authorization of the marketing earlier. There was a problem with slowness and communication ”, he adds.
“265 vaccination points open to health professionals ”by mid-January
The government has already rectified its initial plan, bringing the start of vaccination for caregivers forward to Monday. “From this week, one hospital per department will offer vaccination to health professionals, and by mid-January, they are approximately 265 vaccination points (some in hospitals, some in town) which will be open to healthcare professionals health ”, assures one in the entourage of Gabriel Attal. “From February, these vaccination points will be increased and open to people over 60 years ”, we add.
To put an end to the controversy, the government is also counting on the establishment of a group of 35 citizens, responsible for monitoring the vaccination campaign , and whose draw is due to start on Monday. But this initiative is also widely criticized by the opposition. François Patriat says he is confident about the medium-term vaccine strategy and is ironic: “The same people who were wary of a vaccine produced in nine months a few weeks ago now want to vaccinate with all their might. This is the French paradox: 50% do not wish to be vaccinated, but 60% feel that we are not going fast enough. “